Happycrew Childcare Ltd

What is it like to attend this early years setting?

Children arrive happily at the setting and transfer to their key person well. Highly effective settling-in programmes support smooth transitions for all children throughout the setting. Children build strong bonds with the nurturing and supportive staff. Younger children seek staff out for reassurance when they feel unsure of new people in the setting. Staff support children's emotional well-being through their gentle and kind interactions, showing interest in the children and their families.

Children play well, either alone or with their friends. They show good imaginative skills as they make carrot cake in the kitchen. Staff provide the real vegetables and knives that children use to cut vegetables and mix their ingredients. Children use good coordination and control, as they move the implements correctly to successfully cut the vegetable to the right size. They work collaboratively to ensure they have the right ingredients.

Staff are positive role models and have high expectations for children's behaviour. Children listen to staff and understand what is expected of them. Staff support children to take turns and share from a young age and they are praised when they do this. Staff talk to children in a calm manner and as a result the noise levels of the setting remain at a low level, which supports concentration and development.

What does the early years setting do well and what does it need to do better?

• The curriculum is incredibly ambitious and the learning is clearly sequenced across the setting. The provider has broken this down into manageable chunks, which supports staff effectively to understand how to guide children's learning journey. Leaders are clear about what they want children to learn. However, this is not consistently seen within staff interactions and staff do not always extend learning further than children's initial play starting points. That said, staff talk confidently about children's learning journeys and the progress they make at the setting.
• Children show positive attitudes to healthy lifestyles. They demonstrate excitement as they go to a gymnastics class and talk positively about this later in the day. Children choose to spend most of their day outside and the outside space reflects children's interests. Children are highly independently in their self-care, wiping their own faces from a young age and understanding the importance of washing their hands. All children are provided with a healthy menu of nutritious meals and older children talk with staff about the importance of drinking water throughout the day.
• Staff provide children with opportunities throughout the day to develop their independence and they begin to develop this from a young age. For example, the youngest children feed themselves while staff support close by and children learn to pour their own drinks. As children progress through the setting, they learn how to put on their own shoes and coats to go outside and are encouraged to try before asking for help. This helps boost children's confidence in what they can do and prepares them well for when they eventually move on to school.
• Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported well. The knowledge of setting staff is highly commendable. Staff go over and above to ensure all children make progress at the setting, regardless of their needs or disabilities. Staff work closely with outside agencies to ensure consistency in children's developmental targets. Additional resources are used consistently to support children.
• Staff and children are passionate about their forest school sessions and all children visit this every day, regardless of the weather. The provider has worked hard to ensure the area is accessible for all. Children explore the natural environment and enjoy digging in the loose mud, discovering holes and looking for moles. Children confidently explore the uneven surfaces and riskier terrain.
• Relationships with parents and staff are trusting and respectful. Parents speak highly of the setting staff and the provider and trust in their ethos. They mention the outside sleeping arrangements and how well this has supported their child's sleep at the setting. Parents comment that the staff are lovely and communicate well.

What the setting must and should do next

The provider should:

• continue to build on the learning opportunities for staff that help them develop their interactions with children to a consistently high level.